Books

TodahBy Kyra Teis, PJ Library, 2015

Many Jewish blessings center on the simple act of saying todah (thank you). Modeh Ani (“I give thanks”) is a prayer that gives thanks for the new day. Shehekianu (“Who has given us life”) is a blessing of gratitude traditionally said when celebrating something new. There are blessings to say when seeing something beautiful in nature, or when smelling the first buds of fruit trees in the spring. The more we say todah, the more we practice the Jewish value of hakarat hatov (recognizing the good.)

This adaptation of Mozart’s opera contains all of the classic fairy tale elements. Prince Tamino must save Princess Pamina from her evil mother, the queen. Three beautiful ladies give him a magical flute that will charm both animal and human to help him on his quest. With the help of his flute and his jovial friend Papageno, he overcomes the trials of silence, patience, and courage. Will he be able to win Princess Pamina’s hand in marriage?Share this wonderful edition with a child to find out. Includes a note about Mozart and some teaching ideas to create some Mozart magic in your own home or classroom.

Words Are Like FacesWritten by Edith BaerIllustrated by Kyra TeisStar Bright Books, 2007ISBN:1595721088Edith Baer’s Lucid rhymed couplets and Kyra Teis’ colorful illustrations express the significance of words in everyday life and seek to underline the intricate interlinking of the world of language and communication to people. Although the couplets are easy to memorize, the underlying meaning demonstrates the role of language in building a human community which connects, corresponds, informs, and nurtures through dialogue. The beautiful illustrations display the many different faces of children and how words can affect all of us. The book teaches us to treat words, like children, carefully, and to embrace them by speaking, writing, and listening to them.

A handbook for life and self-discovery, Speaking of Me grew out of the highly-successful workshops Beth Mathers conducts with teens and at-risk teens. Quotes and aphorisms by great men and women, spanning all cultures and all eras of civilization, are the starting point for a workbook that everyone can use to find self-knowledge and a way to a fuller life. Subjects include courage, friendship, forgiveness, kindness, generosity, learning to love and be loved, and many other essential aspects of happiness and fulfillment.

Look!By Kyra TeisStar Bright Books, 2005 ISBN-13: 978-1-59572-058-0Very young children need little prompting to identify shapes and colors just as soon as they can say the words, and they will delight in the many visual treats enclosed in this book. Each page is a vibrant abstract painting that allows children and adults to imagine and find the what, where, which and how of color and shape. A splendid book that will also inspire those children old enough to make their own art.

Read to Me is a gentle rhyme that shows the quiet side of family life through beautiful images of families of all kinds. It speaks of the importance of reading to children from the time they are born. Every new parent should have this book!Available as a hardback or a sturdy board book.Also in Spanish: “Vamos a Leer.”

Daughters of EveWritten by Lillian Hammer RossIllustrated by Kyra TeisBarefoot Books, 2000ISBN-13: 978-1-59572-058-0ISBN-10: 1-59572-058-8"More magic From Barefoot Books. Daughters of Eve consists of nine stories about extraordinary women taken from the Bible and the Apocrypha. Strong storytelling and illustrations produced in the usual inimitable Barefoot style." - BooksellerDaughters of Eve is currently out of print.